Farm-gate.



J. D. RODGERS.

FARM GATE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. s. 1913.

1,119,316, Patented Dec.1,1914.

l mm

JAMES D. RODGERS, 0F GEORGETOWN, KENTUCKY.

FARM-GATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 1, 1914.

Application filed August 6, 1913. Serial No. 783,433.

To all whom it may concern Be it known hat 1, JAMES D. Rononus, citizen of the United States, residing at Georgetown, in the county of Scott and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Farm- Gates, of which the following is a specification.

The subject matter of the present invention relates broadly to farm gates and is directed particularly to new and useful improvements in that type of such structures as are mounted in such manner that when opened they are first elevated and then swung to come at rest in open position in a plane higher than that which they normally occupy when in closed position.

As its principal object the invention contemplates the provision of a farm gate which may be cheaply manufactured, will be durable and eflicient in its action and may be quickly set up in position with minimum expenditure of time and labor.

An object of equal importance with the foregoing is to construct the hangers or brackets by which the gate is attached to a supporting post in such manner that all liability of binding engagement between the mo able parts of the hanger and the gate will be obviated, thus imparting to the gate a maximum efficiency.

A further object resides in the provision of a gate equipped with a novel form of hanger which consists in a rod fixed in its relation to the gate and angularly directed with respect to the horizontal axis thereof this rod being mounted for sliding movement over an idler or pulley which is swingingly attached to the fence post.

A yet further object is toprovide a novel form of bearing block for the terminal of the rod, constructing the block in such manner that the angle of inclination which the rod bears to the horizontal axis of the gate body may be varied to meet the demands of circumstances concurrent with the adaptation of the device.

A still further object contemplates the provision of a slidable section for the gate body which is arranged adjacent the lower and is designed to permit portion of the gate an opening in the gate so the production of that small live stock may pass from one inclosure to another without necessitating the opening of the gate itself.

An object coincident in importance with the above is to provide a stop block which will operate to absorb the shock attendant upon the return of the sliding section of the gate into closed position, thus prolonging the life of the gate and eliminating to a large extent the necessity of frequent repair.

The above and additional objects are accomplished by such means as are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, described in the following specifications and then more particularly pointed out in the claims which are appended hereto and form a part of this application.

With reference to the drawings, wherein I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention as it is reduced to practice, and throughout the several views of which similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts: Figure 1 is a front elevation illustrating the gate in closed position; Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1', Fig. 3 is adetail view of the bearing block employed in supporting the upper end of the inclined rod by which the gate is attached to the swinging hanger; Fig. t is a section on the line l l of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a detail view of the bearing block of Fig. 3 in disassembled position; Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the bearing block by which the lower end of the hanger rod is attached to an intermediate portion of the gate body; Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of the hanger in disassembled position; and Fig.8 is a detail view illustrating the particular stop block employed in limiting the movement of the slidable section of the gate.

Before proceeding to the description of the drawings it is desirable to emphasize the fact that while the gate of the present invention has been designed particularly as a farm gate and has been illustrated and clescribed in that connection, the essential features of its construction are adapted for use in any other field in which it is desirable to employ a swinging closure.

Coming now to the description of the drawings it has been found desirable for the sake of elearness to classify the subject matcomprehended between the nan! ter of the present invention under the following heads: 1. The gate body; 2. The sliding section carried by the gate body; and 3. The means by which the gate is attached to the gate post. Taking up these elements in the order named, the gate body proper consists in the preferred embodiment of a plurality of horizontally arranged slats or strips 10 which extend in parallel spaced relation to one another and are held in assembled position by means of vertical strips or slats indicated at 11 and 12. These members l1 and 12 are disposed at opposite ends of the slats 10 and are preferably arranged in pairs, the individual slats of each of the pairs 11 and 12 being arranged to engage against opposite faces of the slat terminals. Bolts or any other similar and suitable fastening devices 15 are passed through the vertical strips and the terminals of the slats 10 so that the number of fastening devices necessary is reduced to a minimum. Relative to the assembling of the vertical strips and horizontal slats of the gate body it is of course obvious that if so desired a number of spacer blocks may be interposed between the horizontal slats at the portions thereof vertical strips 11 and 12. I

As a means for imparting the desired rigidity to the gate body and for further providing a support for the lower terminal of the hanger rod to be hereinafter described, there has been provided a pair of intermediate strips one of which is discernible in Fig. 1 and is indicated by the numeral 16. A pair of these members 16 are disposed to engage against opposite faces of the slats 10 and are preferably disposed nearer the members 11 than the corresponding members 12for a purpose to be hereinafter set forth in that portion of the specification devoted to the description of the operation of the gate. These inter-mediate strips 16 are secured to the slats 10 by bolts or other similar fastening devices 17 in the manner previously ascribed to the application of the bolts 15.

Having thus described the body portion of the gate the slidable section which is introduced therein is taken up as next in order. This element of the invention, as best illustrated in Fig. 1, includes a pair of horizontal slat members 19 and 20 which are slidable through the pairs of vertical slats 16 and 12 and are terminally equipped with vertical strips indicated at 21 and 22. An intermediate strip 23 is bolted or otherwise securcd to the members 19 and 20 by means of bolts 24 for the obvious purpose of maintaining these slidable slats in the desired spaced relation to one another. In mounting this slidable section for longitudinal movement with respect to the gate body, a pair of supporting blocks indicated by dotted lines at 25 and 26 in Fig. 1, are as illustrated, interposed between the adjacent faces of the strips 12 and 16 so that the upper slat 19 of the slidable section may move across their upper edges and be supported thereby. In securing the members 25 and 26, bolts indicated at 27 and 28 are passed through the strips 16 and 12 in the usual manner. As a means for holding this section in closed position or securing it in the desired open position, there has been provided a locking pin 29 which is insertible through registering apertures formed in the strips 16. In this connection it is to be observed that a longitudinal series of spaced apertures are formed in the upper slat 19 so that an opening of any desired compass may be obtained between the vertical strips 1.1 and the adjacent terminal strip 21 of the members 19 and 20.

As previously set forth there has been provided a stop block which operates to absorb the shock attendant upon the closing of the slidable gate section. This stop block illustrated in detail in Fig. 8 and designated by the numeral 30 is, as indicated at 31 in Fig. 1, disposed between the adjacent faces of the strips 11 and held in fixed position by means of a bolt 32 which passes through the block and the strips 11. The inner end of this stop block 30 is beveled on the corners as indicated at 33, producing in effect a pair of beveled shoulders which engage with similarly beveled shoulders 34: formed on the adjacent corners of the members 19 and 20. In this connection it is of course obvious that if so desired a fabric or other suitable facing may be provided for the shoulders 33 and 34 so that the shock absorbing capacity of the stop block will be increased and the wear and tear on the gate materially reduced. From the foregoing it will be noted that this slidable section of the gate is arranged at the lower portion of the gate body so that a relatively small passageway may be provided when it is desired to permitthe exit of hogs, chickens, sheep or any other small live stock through the gate without completely opening this latter member. 7 The provision of a series of longitudinal apertures in the slat 19 has been found desirable in that it permits the use of the gate for separation of the stock, it being obvious that by inserting the pin through the various apertures openings of various dimensions may be produced between the vertical strips 11 and the memhere 21 so that chickens and other fowls may pass through at one time or the opening enlarged to permit the passage of hogs or sheep at another time.

Passing now to the description of the means employed in attaching the gate above described to the fence post illustrated conventionally at 35 there has been provided a hanger rod36 and a receiving bracket designated as an entirety at 36'. It may be well to explain that while the fence post 15 may be of any desired design and construction, it has been found preferable in practice, however, to employ a post of the ordinary wooden type, although under some conditions it may be expedient to employ a concrete or composition post.

Resuming now the description of the hanger rod, this device is in the preferred embodiment of the invention formed from a length of ordinary gas pipe and is mounted angularly with respect to the longitudinal axis of the gate being disposed with its forward terminal indicated at 37 in a plane lower than that of the rear terminal indicated at 38. The terminal 37 is mounted in the concaved recess 39 formed in a head block 40 as best illustrated in Fig. 6. This head block l0 is preferably formed of metal, being substantially rectangular in shape and is provided with aperturesell which receive the shank portions of a J-shaped bolt indi cated at l). in Fig; 1. This bolt a2 is substantially similar to the bolt as employed in securing the terminal 38 of the rod to a head block 4+1: as best disclosed in Figs. 3 and i. In applying this bolt 42 to the block the longer shank is preferably inserted through the upper aperture il and is passed through the strips 16 and adjacent slat 10 having its free terminal projecting through a face plate 4:5 and held against withdrawal. therefrom by a nut 4L6. Screws or other fastening devices of a similar nature indicated at 17 are employed in firmly attaching the plate l5 to the adjacent strip 16. It will be obvious that the concaved recess 39 of the block 40 and the bight portion of the J bolt form in combination a socket which holds the terminal 37 of the rod 36 against vertical displacement. As a means for further insur ing the terminal 37 of the rod 36 against shifting there has been provided a screw bolt 43) which is threaded through a bore formed in the member 36 and is engaged in the adjacent strip 16.

The head block t-il in which the terminal 38 of the rod 36 is disposed consists essentially in the rectangular metallic block illustrated in detail in Fig. 5. This member i l is formed on its rod receiving face with a pair of concaved recesses 49 and 50 which are inclined toward a central point in the face of the block as indicated at 51. It will thus be seen that the bearing faces of the recesses 19 and 50 are outwardly divergent from a central point in the face of the block at and that the upper and lower edges of the recesses are similarly divergent as indicated at 52 and 53. By thus forming the bearing block 4 L it is possible to adjust the hanger rod 36 to any desired angle of inclination with respect to the longitudinal axis of the gate body. It will of course be apparent that such an adjustment is desirable since in each instance the height to which the gate must be elevated before it can be swung will vary and will be governed entirely by the nature of the ground in the vicinity of the gate.

While the J bolt as is of itself practically suliicient to hold the terminal 38 of the rod 36 against longitudinal movement across the face of the block at it has been found expedient to guard against any possibility of displacement of the rod by applying a screw bolt 43 which is passed through a bore formed in the terminal 38 of the rod 36 and is threaded into the adjacent strip 12 in the manner previously ascribed to the application of the screw bolt as.

in practice it has been found that it is often expedient to provide the strips 16 with a number of apertures adapted to receive the J bolt l2 so that the user of the gate may readily adjust the height to the desired angle of inclination by merely removing the block 4L0 from its usual location and placing it higher or loweron the strips 16. It is also desirable to emphasize the fact that the bloc: 44: may be reversed so that after the rod 36 has worn deeply into the recess 50 the block may be removed and reapplied to dispose the terminal 38 of the rod in the recess it), obviating in this manner the necessity of frequently replacing the worn out head blocks.

The hanger rod 36 is slidable through the hanger bracket 36 and is mounted for movement on an idler or pulley wheel This pulley wheel 5 is journaled on an axle 55 the terminals of which extend through a pair of hanger brackets or plates 56 and 57. The member 56 is preferably U shaped, its arms 58 and 59 being terminally apertured to receive a hinge rod 60. This hinge rod 60 is bent to produce a head indicated at 61 and is inserted through metallic eyes 62 and 63 which are provided with screw threaded shanks so that they may be applied to the gate post in the usual manner. In practice the arms 58 and 5%.) of the U shaped bracket member 56 are disposed to bear against the inner portions of the members 62 and 63 as will be readily observed upon reference to Fig. 2.

In attaching the plate 57 to the bi ght portion of the member 56 and as a means for effectually bracing it there has been provided a pair of retaining bolts 64 and 65 which are inserted through registering apertures formed in the upper and lower terminals of the member 57 and bight portion of the member 56 and carry spacing collars or sleeves 66 and 67. The axle 55 of the wheel 54 consists in the preferred embodiment of a threaded bolt, this type of axle being desirable in that the wheel 54 may be readily removed from the hanger bracket and replaced in case it becomes worn out or damaged. The arms 58 and 59 of the U shaped bracket 56 are of such length that the bight portion of the member 56 will lie in a plane comprehended beyond the adjacent face 68 of the post 35, such disposition of the bracket being of course necessary in order to permit the rod 36 to slide through the hanger without contacting with the post. In this connection it is desirable to emphasize the fact that the bracket irons 56 may be manufactured in standard sizes and that the desired spacement of the bight portions of the irons 56 from the base of the post may be accomplished by varying the relation of the eyes 62 and 63 to the longitudinal center of the post.

As a means for maintaining the body of the gate in a plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of the gate post during the swinging of the gate there has been provided a spacing plate 69 which is preferably formed from a sheet of metal and is bolted or other wise secured as at 70 to the gate post adjacent the lower terminal thereof. This plate 69 is mounted so that its outer edge 71 will contact with the adjacent slats 10 of the gate and hold them spaced from the adjacent face of the post a distance equal to the distance comprehended between the upper end of the post and the slats 10 adjacent thereto, thus maintaining the gate in a vertical plane at all times.

Having thus described the actual construction and arrangement of the several parts in the preferred form of this invention, it now remains to describe the operation of the device. Briefly the operation is as follows: Assuming the gate to be in closed position the operator pushes the forward terminal of the gate body toward the gate post so that the rod 36 will ride on the pulley or idler 5 1 and through the hanger 36. lVhen the rod 36 has passed completely through the hanger to bring the terminal 37 in engagement with the pulley wheel 54 the gate will. be approximately balanced and may then be swung through a quarter of a circle to bring its longitudinal axis at right angles to the plane it, normally occupies when in closed position. As previously set forth the strips 16 are disposed nearer the terminal strips 11 than those indicated at 12 so that when the terminal 37 of the hanger rod rests on the wheel 54 the equilibrium of the gate will be slightly disturbed and the rear end of the gate defined by the strips 12 will drop to a lower plane than that occupied by the strips 11.

In closing the gate the operator swings the body portion until it is disposed in its normal plane and by exerting a slight pull the overbalancing effect of the rear terminal of the gate will be counteracted and the hanger rod 36 will slide downwardly through the bracket hanger, thus bringing the gate into its normally closed position.

Having thus described in detail the construction and operation of the gate it, is now desirable in concluding to call attention to the simplicity and efliciency of the various elements which in assembled relation constitute the completed gate of this invention. In reduction to practice, I have found that the form of my invention, illustrated in the drawings and referred to in the above description, as the preferred embodiment, is the most practical and efficient; yet realizing that the conditions concurrent with the adoption of my device will necessarily vary, I desire to emphasize the fact that various minor changes in details of construction, proportion and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, when required, without sacrificing any of the advantages of my invention, as defined in the appended claims. If so desired the lower portion of the free end of the gate may be equipped with a roller 72 indicated in Fig. 1. Obviously this roller will by engagement with the ground prevent the gate slats from striking any foreign obstacles which may be in the path of tlie gate as in the case of ruts, rocks and the li (e.

Vhat I claim is 1. In a device of the character described,

a gate body, a post, a hanger bracket swingingly attached to the post, a wheel journaled in the bracket, a hanger rod secured to the gate and mounted for movement through the bracket and on the said wheel,

and a pair of detachable head blocks secured on the gate body and adapted to receive the terminals of the hanger rod.

2. In a device of the character described, a post, a gate body, a hanger bracket swingingly attached to the post, a hanger rod angularly mounted on the gate and arranged for sliding movement through the bracket, and a pair of head blocks for securing the terminals of the rod to the gate body, said head blocks being detachably secured to the gate body and provided with concave recesses adapted to receive the rod terminals, and J-bolts for retaining the rod terminals in the recesses.

3. In a device of the character described, a gate body, a post, a swinging hanger bracket carried by the post, an angularly directed hanger rod carried by the gate body and mounted for movement through the bracket, and means for detachably securing the terminals of the rod to the gate body, said means including a pair of head blocks each provided with concave recesses adapted to receive the terminals of the hanger rod, and J-bolts insertible through the head blocks and adapted to hold the rod terminals in assembled position and to secure the head blocks at the gate body.

4. In a device of the character described, a gate body, a post, a swinging hanger bracket carried by the post, a hanger rod carried by the gate and mounted for movement through the bracket, and means for detachably securing the terminals of the rod to the gate body, said means including a pair of head blocks, one of said head blocks having a pair of concave recesses which are inclined from opposite edges of the block toward a central point of the face thereof, the bearing faces of the recesses being outwardly diverging from.a central point in the face of the block, said block being reversible, whereby the terminal of the rod may be seated in either of the said recesses, the other of said head blocks being provided with a central concave recess, and J-bolts insertible through the head blocks and adapted to hold the rod terminals in posi tion in the head blocks and to secure the head blocks to the gate body.

5. In a device of the character described, a gate body, a post, a hanger bracket swingingly attached to the post, a hanger rod carried by the gate and mounted for movement through the bracket, a pair of detachable head blocks for securing the rod terminals to the gate body, and J-bolts insertible through the blocks and gate body and embracing the rod terminals for holding the rod terminals in the blocks and securing the blocks to the gate body.

6. In a device of the character described, a gate body, a post, a hanger bracket swingingly attached thereto, a hanger rod carried by the gate and movable through the bracket, and means for securing the rod to the gate body, said means including a pair of recessed head blocks, and J-bolts insertible through the head blocks and gate body adapted to embrace the rod terminals, the gate body being provided with a plurality of vertically spaced apertures adapted to receive the J-bolt of one of the head blocks, whereby the rod may be angularly adjusted. In testimony whereof I ailix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES D. RODGERS.

\Vitnesses SAMUEL N. ACKER, J. D. YOA'KLEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

